The Paper
by Nomable
Summary: Shy, nerdy Castiel Novak had always admired the popular, handsome Dean Winchester from afar. He always figured that he was invisible to him; that is, until Dean willingly pairs up with Castiel for a term project. They learn things about each other that they've never told anyone before, and form a bond neither could have ever imagined possible. (Highschool AU; Collab)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**((A/N: RP collab with the lovely SarahAnn1901))**

Castiel Novak sat at his usual desk, in the second row, right next to the window. He was exceptionally smart and didn't really care that the others made fun of him for sitting in one of the first two rows; where most of the nerds resided. Ignoring any snickers or whispers, he sat quietly, and removed his things from his black backpack next to him. Castiel didn't have many friends, and spent most of his time alone. Not that he minded, though. He liked being able to think without being bothered constantly. He kept his head down as he waited for class to start, glad that this was the last period of the day before he finally got to go home.

Castiel was mentally planning out his homework schedule for the night as the bell rang. Mr. Crowley took his place in the front of the class, his eyes scanning the room, filled with bored and tired looking teenagers, fresh from lunch

"Good morning class." He said, his Scottish accent dripping off his words. It was shortly after that Dean Winchester arrived, late as usual, earning a glare from Mr. Crowley as he took his seat.

Castiel's crystal blue eyes glanced up from his paper, noticing Dean Winchester casually sauntering in, not seeming to care that he was late. It was a usual habit of his, and Castiel couldn't understand why the boy felt the need to come at least 5 minutes late to class. It was no secret that Mr. Crowley despised the Winchesters, even if the younger one, Sam, was always perfectly punctual and smart. It seemed like most teachers just hated Dean, and by default, hated Sam.

"Alright, you little buggers are going to pair up and write a 5 page paper on your partner's life. From birth to present day. Be thorough and detailed. Papers are due next week." The Scottish teacher announced, causing a chorus of groans to fill the room. Castiel felt his heart drop, knowing that he would have to be paired with whoever else was the last person alone. He was never picked, or ever had any friends to pair up with. So he knew he'd have to deal with whoever was left.

Suddenly there was Dean sliding into the chair next to him. This not only shocked Cas, but everyone else in the room. Dean Winchester never spoke to the nerds; it was against the unspoken jock code, which Dean had to follow. Castiel had presumed that Dean would have paired up with Jo, the cute blond that sits next to him. But here he was, looking at Castiel with those oh-so beautifully green eyes.

"Hey, it's Castiel right?"

Castiel couldn't hide the surprise on his features as he turned to Dean.

"Um...Yes. You're Dean, right?" He stammered, hating that his voice caught from nervousness. Never in a million years would Castiel ever expect Dean Winchester, one of the most popular (and, admittedly, attractive) guys in school to talk to him. He was, for lack of a better term, starstruck.

"Yeah. I am." Dean looked down at his desk. "So do you wanna be my partner?" He looked up suddenly and blushed. "For the project, I mean." Dean didn't know what he was doing. He'd had a crush on Castiel for years. He spent the last hour trying to get up the nerve to talk to him and this was his chance... He HAD to take it.

Castiel felt his own cheeks twinge with a shade of red at Dean's rather awkwardly-worded question, but nodded.

"Um, sure. Only if you want. I thought you'd be partnered with Jo or something." He said shakily, trying to act as casual as possible, but failing. He knew Dean was bisexual; that word got around quite fast. Never the less, he was still somehow extremely popular. Probably because of his good looks and athletic talents. Whatever the reason, Castiel was one of the many who had a huge crush on Dean, and this seemed like it was finally his chance to get to know the boy.

Suddenly, Crowley (As most students called him) quieted down the class.

"Okay, now that you've all got your partners.-" Mr. Crowley cut off as Chuck, one of Castiel's friends, raised his hand.

"Excuse me, sir. But I don't have a partner." He said quietly.

Crowley sighed, "Who else doesn't have a partner? Ah, Meg, you're with Chuck." This caused some scattered snickers from the rest of the class and Meg pulled a face, but took her seat next to Chuck at the front. Crowley smiled, and it was sinister. "I hope you bloody well like your partners. They'll be with you the rest of the semester. Get used to it. I'll turn the time over to you. But work on your assignments. Don't just jack-off."

Castiel felt a twinge of pity for Chuck as the others laughed at him, and felt a frown tug at his lips. He could only hope that he was alright with Meg. She certainly had a mouth on her. Castiel thought briefly back to last year, when there was a rumor floating around that Meg had a crush on Castiel, but Castiel could never believe that someone like her could ever like him. The announcement that the partners were permanent shook Cas out of his train of thought, and he glanced over at Dean, trying to gauge his reaction; hoping that Dean didn't mind too much.

Truth is, the announcement surprised Dean as much as it did Castiel. The surprise soon turned to excitement, now he had a legitimate reason to continue speaking to Castiel.

"So... Cas." Realizing he used the nickname he'd made for Castiel long ago he finished in a rush. "What's your full name?"

Castiel blinked as Dean used a shortened version of his name, secretly quite liking the nickname. it made him feel a lot more comfortable and casual.

"Castiel Novak." He replied politely, turning in his seat slightly. "So...This is a pretty big project." He said awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

Dean pulled out his notebook and wrote the details of the project down, which Crowley had written on the board.

"Yeah." Dean did great when talking to girls even the occasional guy. But when it came to Castiel... Dean was lost. "Um... how about your favorite color? Mine's blue."

"Favorite...Color?" Castiel repeated. "Erm...I never gave it much thought. Green, I guess?" He offered up, not even thinking about it before saying it. He didn't even make the mental connection that the reason he loved green so much was Dean's eyes; the most striking shade of green.

"Favorite kind of music?" Dean prompted, wanting to know everything about Cas. Everything, from his favorites to his family. Favorites will have to do for now. He didn't know what else to say. With Castiel he goes from smooth-talker to caveman in under three seconds. Maybe it was his beautiful blue eyes... Dean never called anything beautiful... but Castiel was. He took a moment while Castiel was thinking to look over him over. He was wearing black jeans and Dean's favorite (on Castiel) blue jacket with angel wings decorating the back. Now that he thought about it, Castiel's wardrobe centered around angel wings. Not that he minded.

Castiel awkwardly scuffed his Vans against the ground before glancing back up at Dean.

"Um. Depends. I sort of listen to a bit of everything, except rap." He said, not sure how else to answer. He never really gave it much thought... "And, you...?" He asked, though secretly, Cas already knew the answer. In all honesty, he knew quite a lot about Dean. From word of mouth, or even just by listening, Cas had learned quite a bit already. Dean grinned.

"Classic rock. Like Zepplin and AC/DC. Listen to that much?" Dean loved talking music. It was one of his favorite things to do. Castiel nodded once.

"Yes, I do prefer the classics, for sure." He replied. "Most of the new stuff just can't live up to the classics." He said, hoping to say what Dean wanted to hear.

"Exactly! Most people just don't get that. Okay, CD or cassette?"

"Cassette." Castiel replied, without missing a beat. Dean laughed, pleased by his answer.

"Okay, you're definitely my new best friend." He found it easy to smile around Castiel, he just liked him so much. Castiel couldn't help but smile as well, pleased to hear that he could be friends with Dean.

"So, we should probably get to work on these papers. Um, I hope you don't mind telling me your life story." Castiel said, grabbing his mechanical pencil and opening his notebook, before turning to Dean eagerly.

"Um... my life story?" Dean paused, suddenly unsure of what to say. "Well I was born on January 24, 1979. My dad's name is John Winchester,my mom Mary Campbell. I have a little pain in the ass brother, Sam. I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy long walks on the beach and frisky women." He winked at Cas. "And sometimes men too."

Castiel's pencil tip snapped as he heard Dean's extra comment, and he quickly tried to push out more lead, extremely flustered. He hastily copied down everything Dean had said, trying to calm his erratically beating heart. His face was so deeply red that if anyone else were to look at him, they'd think he was suffering from a terrible fever. He cleared his throat awkwardly and had to avoid eye contact.

"Um. Where have you lived?" He asked, trying to get as many facts as possible. He knew the bell was about to ring, and school would be over soon. They'd have to meet or call to get the rest of the facts about each other before the next class, which admittedly made Castiel's heart jump with the idea of a chance to get to know Dean better, and see him out of school as well.

"Um... just Lawrence. Dude, you alright?" Dean was slightly worried. Castiel didn't look so good. As a matter of fact, he did look a bit feverish ever since he sat down.

Castiel nodded quickly.

"I'm fine." He snapped. "Anyways. Do you have any interesting or funny stories I can use?" He asked, trying to keep from letting Dean realize how flustered he was.

"Um... Sure." Obviously Castiel didn't want to talk about it, and it wasn't really Dean's place to pry. He took a minute to think. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the bell rang. "Damn. Hey, wanna meet up after school or something? We could talk and get to know each other more." He jotted down his number on a piece of paper and ripped it out of his notebook. "Here. Call me sometime." He grinned at Castiel and gave him the paper. He slung his blue backpack over his shoulder and started to walk towards the door. He turned and looked directly at Castiel. "I mean it. Call me." He grinned again and walked out of the door.

Castiel stammered, trying to form a coherent reply before Dean left, but he was too flustered and embarrassed. He instead sat there, gaping like a fish as Dean turned and left from the room. He looked down at the number, memorizing it front and backwards. Finally, he stood up, tucking the paper into his pocket, and walked in a daze. He didn't have a car, so he had to walk home. Castiel didn't mind, however, he liked the walk. He began walking, replaying the conversation with Dean in his head. He wondered when he should call him; after he finished his homework? Or as soon as he got home? He didn't want to seem too desperate...But they did need to get this project done. And preferably, sooner than later.

Dean had been waiting for Sam at home a little over half an hour before he finally got a call. "Sammy? Where the hell are you, I've been waiting forever." There was a giggle on the other end of the line.

"Shhh! I'm on the phone with Dean. Sorry, Dean. I went home with Gabriel. We're studying." And a muffled, 'studying, yeah right.' coming from, presumably, Gabriel.

"Shut up, Gabe. But yeah, studying." Another giggle. "Gabe stop! No!" then the line went dead. Dean stared at his phone in shock, and slight disgust.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Castiel tried his hardest to focus on his homework; he really did. But his mind continuously betrayed him, and just kept wandering back to thoughts of Dean and the time he wanted to spend with him. His resolve gave way, and he surrendered, just grabbed his phone, shakily punching in the numbers and calling Dean.

"Hello, it's Castiel. I, um, I'm not busy and I finished my homework. So if I could come over, or if you prefer, you could come here, and we can get working on the project. If you want, that is. We don't have to. I was just...Offering." He stammered, tripping over his words as he spoke in a rush. Dean simply laughed; he wasn't used to hearing the boy stutter like this.

"Yeah, I can come over. Wait... you have a brother named Gabriel don't you?" Dean shuddered again at the earlier phone call.

"Um...yes. But he's out right now." Castiel replied, realizing that they would have the house to themselves, since Castiel was home alone at the moment. The thought made his whole body get hot, even though part of him wanted to smack his dick and say "no". He bit his lip and curled his toes, glad that Dean couldn't see him at the moment.

"That little... where'd he go?" Dean muttered under his breath, mostly to himself. Sam wasn't home, and he wasn't at Gabriel's... His train of thought cut off as the realization hit him. Gabriel and Castiel lived in the same house…So Dean had actually always known where Castiel lived. "Oh well, I'll be over in five. See you then." He hung up the phone and ran to the bathroom to check himself over in the mirror. He then grabbed his keys and left the house, heading for Castiel's.

Castiel sat in awe for a few seconds, realizing that Dean Winchester was about to come over to his house. And it would be just them. Together. Alone. Oh god, he felt the sudden urge to throw up. Castiel fluttered around, cleaning what he could, changing into better clothes, brushing his hair, then messing it up again, then brushing it because he couldn't decide what looked better. As Dean pulled up, he quickly turned on the TV and opened a Sports Illustrated magazine, setting it on the coffee table to give the illusion that he had been chilling out, rather than tripping over his feet while madly scrambling to clean the house.

Dean quickly checked his hair in the mirror and winked. He was one sexy bastard... but would Cas think so? It was then that it finally hit him. Him and Castiel...together. Outside of school. When he started to get nervous he mentally slapped himself. He was Dean Winchester, and Dean Winchester didn't do nervous. But then again, this was Castiel. He slid out of his car and locked the door. Deciding this was no time to be nervous, he knocked four times on Castiel's door.

Castiel nearly jumped out of his skin as Dean knocked at least four times. He scrambled to the door, tripping over the carpet and his lanky limbs on the way there. He took in several deep breaths as he tried to fix his hair one last time before opening the door for Dean.

"Hello. Please, come in." Castiel said, stepping aside so Dean could enter. He knew his house wasn't that great; but it was all they had, and it was more than enough for Cas. "Can I get you anything?" He asked, trying to be as hospitable as possible.

Dean looked around, slightly impressed. It was bigger than the apartment he and Sam lived in. And homier. It had a warm feel to it, which Dean envied. Suddenly, he realized Cas asked him a question.

"Uh... no... thank you." He stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do with his arms. He settled for shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Castiel nodded finally, and shut the door behind Dean.

"Alright. Well, we can stay in the living room, if you prefer." He said, gesturing to the few couches around a coffee table and TV. He could tell Dean felt awkward, and didn't blame him. He didn't know what to say or do at the moment...

"Right." He sat down at one of the couches and once again marveled at Castiel's house. "So... Nice place." He cleared his throat and sat up slightly. Castiel nodded.

"Thank you. It's not much, but it's...Home." He said simply, glancing over at Dean. He hated how awkward this was... "So. How was your day?" He asked softly, trying to grasp at any sort of conversation starter.

"It's more than I have..." Shit. Dean did not mean to let that slip out. He rushed out, "My day was amazing... How was yours?" Inside Dean's head, 'please ignore that, please ignore that.'

Castiel's head inclined slightly as he heard Dean's first sentence. He really wanted to pursue, and further question him about that, but he resisted. "Well at least you have Sam." He said softly. "And it was good, thank you." He then replied, figuring Dean didn't want to press the subject. Dean visibly relaxed as Castiel let the earlier topic drop.

"Well that's good. Um...So, what do you do for fun around here?" He grasped for something, anything, to make up for his mistake. Castiel thought for a second.

"Well, I read usually. Or do homework. Sometimes I just sit here quietly and think. It's quite peaceful." He said. "...And you?" He then asked, feeling extremely boring. He knew he was a terrible entertainer, but he couldn't help it. Castiel rarely ever had anyone over, let alone the sex idol Dean Winchester.

"Really? No music, no videogames or tv?" Dean was kind of shocked. He never did his homework if he didn't absolutely have to, and Castiel did it for fun.

"Well, music, when I can. I have a cassette player in my room, which I listen to when I go to sleep. And I only recently started watching TV. I quite enjoy it." He said with a ghost of a smile on his lips. He couldn't help but think about the time he stayed up too late and accidentally turned on the pay-per-view porn channel. He cleared his throat, trying to shake the thought from his mind. "But no, I don't play video games. I've never tried." He finished.

Dean smiled, he knew there was a normal kid in there somewhere. "So... where are your parents? They go to work?" Dean knew he shouldn't have asked about parents... it was a touchy subject with him, but there was no denying his curiosity.

"My father is a lawyer. He tries to be home as much as possible. He has a trial in the city this week, so he probably won't be back until monday. He's great though, very helpful and wise. My mother...Well, I never knew my mother, she died giving birth to me. Then my father remarried and they had Gabriel. He takes after his mother. She died in a car crash..." The smile disappeared as he thought about his deceased mothers, the one he never got a chance to meet, and the one he didn't have enough time to get to know. He looked at the ground, using his toe to mess with the plush carpet. He unknowingly moved ever so slightly closer to Dean, seeking comfort. "...And you?" He finally asked, softly, his bright blue eyes gazing up into Dean's.

"Oh... My mom's gone too. She..." Dean's voice broke; he was already close to tears. This happened every time he talked about his mom. That's why he always tried to avoid the subject. But Castiel shared his story... why couldn't Dean tell his? "She died in a fire when I was four. Sammy was just a baby..." He laughed bitterly. "It was my entire fault too. I left a candle burning when I told mom I would put it out." He didn't even register the fact that a few tears ran down his cheeks until the cold liquid fell on his hands. Snapping out of his reverie, he wiped his face clear of tears. "Sorry, Cas. I shouldn't have pushed my problems on you. I, uh, maybe I should leave…" He shifted uncomfortably. Castiel's shoulders sagged as he heard Dean's story. He held his breath, quickly grabbing Dean's forearm.

"Wait. No, please don't go. Dean, it's okay. It's not your fault, trust me." He said, his words dripping with honesty and sincerity. He felt so bad; he couldn't begin to imagine what that amount of guilt would do to someone. He gently pulled Dean closer, giving him a rather...Awkward hug. He felt guilty for bringing up the topic; it wasn't his place to pry, and now it was his fault that Dean was feeling this way.

"S-Sorry. I just...I'm here for you, and I want to talk, okay?" He said softly, looking down into Dean's gorgeous green eyes.

Dean couldn't believe it... here was Castiel, hugging him. He didn't know what else to do, so he wrapped his arms around Castiel and hugged him back.

"Thank you. You... you have no idea how much that means to me." He felt himself crying again, but he didn't want to break contact with Cas so he just buried his face in his shoulder and continued to cry.

Castiel gently patted Dean's back, holding him close against his body. He wanted to offer some form of comfort to Dean, whether it be verbal or just physical. He rested his chin on top of Dean's hair, giving him time to settle down. He didn't mind prolonging the hug for as long as Dean needed. In fact, he quite wanted the hug to continue as long as possible. He couldn't believe that he was currently holding Dean Winchester in his arms as he cried into his shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Dean. You've done so much good, you need to realize that." He said quietly.

"Cas?" Dean sniffled. "Can I... Can I be completely honest with you?"

Castiel pulled away slightly so he could look Dean in the eyes, and nodded.

"Of course you can, Dean." He replied reassuringly. Dean wiped his tear stained cheeks and looked back at Castiel. He sighed and looked down at his hands, which were in his lap.

"The thing is... my father always blamed me for what happened. It got to the point where he couldn't stand to look at my face. He kicked me out when I turned sixteen. He was almost always drunk, so I took Sammy with me. Right now, we're living in a small apartment and I work for my uncle Bobby." He shook his head. "I don't really know why I'm telling you this... No one else knows. I just... I somehow feel like I can trust you." Castiel's eyes widened at Dean's confession.

"Dean...I...That's horrible!" He exclaimed, standing up. "I won't allow that. I will not. There is plenty room in my house, I can explain the situation to my father, leaving out some details, and let you and Sam grow up in a proper house. Dean, neither of you should be living like that. I want to help you. Please." He begged, taking Dean's hands in his. He knew Dean was far too prideful to accept something like this, but he knew that Dean wanted the best for Sam. And living in a rundown apartment for one was certainly not acceptable. Dean looked shocked.

"I...I don't know if I can accept that..." He didn't know what to say. And as much as he would love to spend every waking moment with Castiel... he wouldn't want to burden Castiel's family like that.

Castiel shook his head. "No. You will accept it, Dean. Please, it's the least I can do after you've been through so much. I want to give you a home. A proper one." He said firmly, leaving no room for objections.

"I..." He shook his head. "I'll have to talk to Sammy."  
"Talk to me about what?" Sam said as he and Gabriel walked through the door. Dean stood up.  
"Where the hell have you two been?" Sam blinked at his brother's sudden outburst, while Gabriel just laughed.  
"Out." Gabriel answered as he grabbed Sams hand and ran up the stairs to his room. "Sam's sleeping over tonight, Cassie! Hope you don't mind!" He cut off as he slammed the door to his room, leaving Dean and staring.

"What... the hell... was that?"

Castiel looked up as Sam and Gabriel came crashing in, and hurried up to Gabriel's room. He then awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Erm, honestly, Sam does sneak over quite a lot. Sometimes when I'm staying up to do homework, I hear Gabriel let Sam in, and then they sneak back up to Gabriel's room. I'm sure they would quite like to live together." He said, his voice flat. He didn't mind in the least bit, but it was slightly annoying to have to pretend to be asleep as they snuck away. Dean laughed.

"I always did wonder where Sam snuck off to in the middle of the night." Dean shuddered. "Do you... do you think they're... dating?" Castiel didn't flinch at the question, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Perhaps. I'm not sure, though. They may just like listening to music really loud while jumping on the bed, 'cause that's what it usually sounds like." Dean burst into laughter so hard he ended up on the floor. As soon as his manic laughter died down they heard music from upstairs. Dean burst out laughing once again.  
"If you wouldn't mind... We're trying to study up here. Could you keep it down?" Came Gabriel's annoyed voice. Castiel blinked as Dean continued laughing extremely hard.

"I...I don't get it. What's so funny?" He asked, clueless. Dean finally caught his breath and stopped laughing hard enough to answer.

"Seriously, Cas? You're too funny. Um... people generally use the excuse 'studying' to have sex." Dean realized this, and shuddered. "Which is probably happening right now..."

Castiel's eyes widened and he slowly looked back down at the ground. "Oh." Was all he said. "Um...how about we go somewhere, then?" He offered. The sound of them "jumping" on the bed was starting, and Cas was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable. Dean was extremely uncomfortable too.

"Sounds like a great idea. Shall we go then? I know a park not too far from here."

Cas nodded, grabbing his sweater and shrugging it on as he hurried to the door.

"Sounds good. We can get lunch and continue talking, if you like." He added, wanting to make sure they had something to do. "Let's start walking."


End file.
